Commune: Tychowo (pow. białogardzki, woj. zachodniopomorskie)
Framework element or context represented:
Pleistocene ice-sheet sediments.
Primary geological/geomorphological interest:
The largest and very scenic erratic boulder in Poland.
Comparative assessment justification:
The exceptional erratic boulder in Poland differs from other ones by the size and the petrographic type.
Protection status and accessibility:
The Tryglaw erratic boulder is protected since 1954 as an inanimate nature monument of a high scientific values and well-accessible to sightseeing. It is situated in the cemetery.
Character of site: Erratic boulder.
Area: 0.01 ha
Altitude: 100 m a.s.l.
Lithology: other metamorphic rocks
Discipline: Geomorphology, Petrography
Process Age: Quaternary, *all periods
Bedrock Age: *all periods
Description of primary interest:
The boulder is situated within the limits of the youngest, Vistulian (Weichselian) Glaciation. The Tryglaw erratic boulder represents a dark-grey Scandinavian paragranitgneiss oligoclase - andesitic of a size 50 metres in perimeter and 3.8 meters in height. Glacial polishings are well marked on the erratic surface. The boulder was transported from Scandinavia to Poland by the latest Scandinavian-Vistulian (Weichselian) ice-sheet (the glacial scratches on the surface) probably from the vicinity of Vidbo or Uppsala (Sweden).
Literature:
ALEXANDROWICZ Z., DRZAŁ M., KOZŁOWSKI S. 1975–A catalogue of inanimate nature reserves and monuments in Poland (English sum.). Studia Naturae, ser. B, pp. 298. BER A. 1999–Preliminary list of the Quaternary geosites in Northern and Central Poland, their age and geological position. Pol. Geol. Inst., Spec. Papers, 2: 77-85. BER A. 2001–Ważne czwartorzędowe stanowiska geologiczne Polski północnej i środkowej (Polish only). In: W trosce o Ziemię. Księga ku czci Prof. S. Kozłowskiego: 224-239. KUL Lublin. DUDZIAK J. 1974–Large erratic blocks and their significance for the studies of the Pleistocene (English sum.). Ochrona Przyrody 39: 277-296. GUMOWSKA Z. 1967–The large erratic boulder at Tychowo Wielkie in the Western Pomerania (English sum.). Prace Muzeum Ziemi 11: 91-100. HERRMANN E. 1930–Einige grosse Findlinge in der Neumark und Uckermark und der Gross Stein von Tychow in Pommeren. Zeit. Für Geschiebeforsch., Band VI.